Your Top 10 Favourite Blog Posts of 2023

Here we are, at the start of a brand new year. A year full of new possibilities.

I am so itching to get at it but have to wait just a few more days as we are going away for the weekend. Then I will start on all those ideas... and my new year's resolutions. Yes, plural. Oj vej!

Last year was my first year at this new house, this new yard, a new garden back in a zone 3 growing zone.

Thank you all for following me on this new journey, for your comments and questions!

Here are your top 10 favourite blog posts from last year. A couple of them surprised me (in a good way, of course) like your most favourite one : )

#10 - My 2023 Vegetable Grow List

How to go about deciding what to grow each year, and how much of everything to grow for your family.

Includes my own grow list for the first summer in this new yard. It is hard to downsize, you all... is much easier to go bigger and grow more, more, more ; )

#9 - How To Grow Great Zinnias - It's Super Easy!

This one makes me happy. You all know how much I love zinnias!

So great for attracting birds to eat the bugs, plus all sorts of beneficial insects, too. And hey, they are super easy to grow so give you a big bang for just a few bucks.

#8 - Growing Great Garlic

This post about how to grow garlic, how deep to plant, when to plant, for all the zones. I can hardly wait to harvest the garlic in summer... and we have just started winter, hahaha. Want to see how my new bed grows.

#7 Four Ways to Grow Great Onions From Seed

I stopped growing from onion sets one spring long ago when I broke my wrist. I had no way to drive my standard (yep, that is how old I am) vehicle to the shops so I ordered seeds online and had the best onions of my life.

Since then, I have always grown from seed, and always had much better, bigger onions. Check out the how to grow from seed. It's easy, you all! So much better than sets!

#6 - Citrus Trees - Lemons & Limes - (how to keep them healthy and happy, even in winter)

How to care for lemon and lime trees in all the seasons, how to keep it happy and thriving even in winter... that's the hard part : )

#5 - Companion Planting With Flowers For Pest Control

How to avoid sprays of any kind and fight pests in the vegetable garden with flowers. Why flowers in the food garden are a really big deal.

#4 - How I Keep My House Clean with Big Dogs & Little Kids

Those of you with big dogs know how much work it is to keep the house clean. They drool, they shed, they track in dirt.... they are super lovable, but oh so messy. This is what I do to keep my sanity.

#3 - My Secret Trick for Starting Seeds On The Cheap

I ran a greenhouse business from my backyard for 13 years, selling heirloom vegetables, flowers for the pollinators, roses, fruit trees, and more. This is how I started and grew 1000's of seedlings from seed on the cheap!

#2 Planning Your Potager Layout

This is a long read but if you follow it step by step, you will do great. Planning out a garden is not a quick thing. It takes time, even for the pros who do this for a living. You get a bit faster at it when you have been growing for a few years, but it always takes time.

That is why we start in January with our dreaming, plotting, and planning. If you want clarification or more information about any of these things, please put it in the comments below. I would love to talk more about gardening : )

#1 Beautiful & All-Natural Birdseed Wreaths

You number one read last year was this one. Yay for the birdies! An easy thing that you can do to keep the birds coming to your home (you want them in summer to eat those bugs), plus they are fun to watch.

Thank you all for the past year. What a great year it was, eh? The upcoming year of 2024 is going to be even better, I feel it in my bones.

We are running away from home for a few days, so there will be no Bits post on Sunday. I have so many fun things to share with you when we get back though, from gardening, seeds, the renovation, to the grandies bedroom redo!

Take Care, See You All Very Soon~ Tanja